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Color of Receptacles

6K views 28 replies 11 participants last post by  miamicuse 
#1 ·
Does the color of a receptacles implies anything?

I recently purchased a lot of ten Pass & Seymour GFCI receptacles for $25.00 total, and the only thing is it's black in color.

I don't like to use different color plates, so I don't want a white plate with a white switch, next to a black plate with a black receptacle...would having all white plates but some black GFCI receptacles be awkward looking? I am thinking it's OK right because it hilites the receptacles more?
 
#18 ·
I don't like to use different color plates, so I don't want a white plate with a white switch, next to a black plate with a black receptacle...would having all white plates but some black GFCI receptacles be awkward looking? I am thinking it's OK right because it hilites the receptacles more?
I think mixing receptacles and plates will look goofier and totally mismatched more so than having an all black combination next to an all white combination.

Could get some zebra vinyl for all the coverplates! :laughing::laughing::laughing::no:
 
#5 ·
While orange is common, so is white and other colors. Code does not require it to orange, just have an orange triangle.

(D) Isolated Ground Receptacles. Receptacles incorporating
an isolated grounding conductor connection intended
for the reduction of electrical noise (electromagnetic interference)
as permitted in 250.146(D) shall be identified by
an orange triangle located on the face of the receptacle.
 
#16 ·
I thought may be the GFCI receptacle being black would be easier to see.

This is sort of my thinking.

Say right inside the bathroom, besides the sink you have a series of four "devices" all Decora. One switch for overhead lights, one switch for scones next to the medicine cabinet, one switch for a bath fan, and the last one is a GFCI receptacle. The bathroom is foggy and you may be washing your face you reach out your hand to hit the fan switch, and if it's a series of four whites versus three whites and a black you clearly know the black one is the receptacle.

Does it make sense? May be it will look odd and ugly though.
 
#19 ·
For one, the bathroom should never have so much steam, that you can not see in it. Always run the fan when taking a shower, otherwise you are just creating problems. Two, pick a color and stick with it. My house is all white switches. For the bath, there are three, and if you are taking a shower, all three are on. If just going to the pot, two are usually switched on.
 
#20 ·
Seems to me you are now clutching at straws to justify the color of your purchase? I assume you knew they were black when you bid on/bought them? At $2.50 each you got a good deal and I guess the price paid here is learning to live with the color.

If it is really going to keep you up nights? Sell them on Craig's List and get some, if not all your money back out of them. Or donate them to something like Habitat for Humanity or one of its ReStore's and take them as a donation off your taxes.

Then buy what you really want.:thumbsup:
 
#21 · (Edited)
Not justifying at all. I was going for white but thought black ones may be better because they stand out more amongst a series of white, and I was thinking if it's a series of white with one black then one would be much less likely to make a mistake of hitting the wrong one.

I don't need to sell them. I have another 20 white GFCI receptacles I need to install, and I can easily switch the 10 black ones I got to use outdoors, where I have 4 eave receptacles, 5 planter receptacles, one next to the pool pump and one next to the outside AC compressor. Those are all single receptacles housed in metallic gray outdoor housings, so black, white, doesn't matter really.

In other words, I have enough of both black and white GFCIs to do what I need and interchange them if necessary. I am still thinking of using the black ones in the bathrooms. May be after I put them up and add a four gang wall plate I will change my mind due to it's look.
 
#27 ·
I can think of two times to use different colored plugs:
  • Identify receptacles that are on the generator, similar to hospitals. I use red receptacles for circuits on the generator that way people know there is something special, instead of me having bad fashion sense.
  • Identify the different circuits in a kitchen. My brother entertains a lot and needs to have the caterers balance loads across the three circuits in the kitchen
Now you can take the second option to an extreme. The Leviton ReNu collection comes in 21 different colors. So you could use a different color for each circuit.:laughing:
 
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